[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61452-61453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24910]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Military Training Activities at the Naval Weapons Systems Training 
Facility Boardman, OR, and To Announce Public Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Department of the 
Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of 
continuing training activities on and increasing usage of the Naval 
Weapons Systems Training Facility (NWSTF) Boardman, Oregon.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: Two public scoping meetings will be held to 
receive oral and/or written comments on environmental concerns that 
should be addressed in the EIS. The public scoping meetings will be 
held on the following dates and times, and at the following locations:
    1. Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., at Port of Morrow 
Conference Center, Riverfront Room, 2 Marine Drive, Boardman, OR 97818;
    2. Thursday, October 28, 2010, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., at Hermiston 
Conference Center, Rotary Room, 415 S. Highway 395, Hermiston, OR 
97838.
    Each scoping meeting will consist of an informal, open house 
session with information stations staffed by DoN and National Guard 
representatives. Details of the meeting locations and times will be 
announced in local newspapers. Additional information concerning 
meeting times will be available on the EIS Web page located at: http://www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Amy Burt, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command, Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, 
Silverdale, Washington 98315-1101, Attn: NWSTF Boardman Project 
Manager, Code EV1.AB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN's proposed action includes range 
enhancements and changes to training activities, capacities, and 
facilities as they currently exist on NWSTF Boardman. The Proposed 
Action would result in selectively focused but critical range 
enhancements and increases in DoN and Oregon National Guard training 
that are necessary to ensure NWSTF Boardman supports military training 
and readiness objectives.
    The overall strategic mission of NWSTF Boardman is to support naval 
and joint services operational readiness by providing a suitable range 
within the geographical vicinity for Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet and 
Oregon National Guard forces in the northwest.
    The EIS study area consists of NWSTF Boardman airspace, Military 
Operating Area and Restricted Airspace totaling approximately 500 
square miles, and 47,432 acres of land within the boundaries of NWSTF 
Boardman. NWSTF Boardman is rectangular shaped oriented from north to 
south, approximately 6 miles by 12 miles in size, and is situated 2.5 
miles south of the town of Boardman and the Columbia River, and 
southwest of Umatilla, Oregon.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to: (1) Ensure that NWSTF 
Boardman continues to support critical military training activities in 
a realistic and cost-effective manner; (2) Achieve and maintain 
military readiness using NWSTF Boardman to support and conduct current, 
emerging, and future training and research, development, test and 
evaluation (RDT&E) activities; and (3) Upgrade and modernize NWSTF 
Boardman's existing capabilities to address shortfalls in available 
training range capabilities in the Pacific Northwest.
    The Proposed Action is needed to provide a training environment 
consisting of range areas, facilities and instrumentation with the 
capacity and capabilities to fully support required training tasks for 
military units. In this regard, NWSTF Boardman furthers the military's 
execution of its roles and responsibilities under United States Code 
(U.S.C.) Title 10 (federal military) and U.S.C. Title 32 (State 
National Guard). To comply with its Title 10 and 32 mandates, the 
military needs to maintain current levels of military readiness by 
improving training at NWSTF Boardman, accommodate possible future 
increases in operational training and force structure changes, and 
maintain the long-term viability of NWSTF Boardman as a military 
training and testing area.
    Under the No Action Alternative, training activities and major 
range events would continue at current levels. The DoN and National 
Guard training activities currently conducted on NWSTF Boardman, 
presented as the No Action Alternative, have been ongoing at present 
levels and frequencies for approximately 10 years.
    Under Alternative 1, NWSTF Boardman would support an increase in 
training activities to include force structure changes associated with 
the introduction of new weapon systems, vehicles, and aircraft, in 
addition to accommodating training activities currently conducted on 
the range. Alternative 1 would also include the implementation of range 
enhancements to allow NWSTF Boardman to comply with DoN and National 
Guard requirements to enable military personnel to qualify on weapon 
systems. These required range enhancements could include the 
construction of a Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range, a Digital Multi-
Purpose Training Range, a Convoy Live Fire training range, a Demolition 
Training Range, construction of a joint range administration/Unmanned 
Aerial System (UAS) maintenance building, UAS landing strip, and the 
opening of a second target area for air to ground bombing exercises.
    Alternative 2 consists of all elements of Alternative 1 plus the 
addition of a third target area, a helicopter landing zone, a second 
Convoy Live Fire range, four mortar pads, and a separate joint-use 
administrative facility. Alternative 2 also includes an increase in 
training activities associated with these additional range 
enhancements.
    Environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS, as 
applicable, include but are not limited to the following: Air quality, 
airspace, biological resources, including threatened and endangered 
species, cultural resources, water resources, geology and soils, 
hazardous materials and waste, health and safety, noise, 
socioeconomics, and transportation.
    The DoN is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and local issues that will be addressed in the EIS. Federal, 
state and local agencies, Federally Recognized Native American Tribes, 
the public, and all interested persons are encouraged to provide oral, 
written, or electronic comments to the DoN to identify specific 
environmental issues or topics of environmental concern that the 
commenter believes the DoN should consider. All comments, electronic,

[[Page 61453]]

written or provided orally at the scoping meetings, will receive the 
same consideration during EIS preparation.
    Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be postmarked no 
later than November 15, 2010. Comments may be mailed to Mrs. Amy Burt, 
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle 
Suite, 203, Silverdale, Washington 98315-1101, Attn: NWSTF Boardman EIS 
Project Manager, Code EV1.AB. Comments may also be submitted on the 
project Web site, http://www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com.

    Dated: September 29, 2010.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-24910 Filed 10-4-10; 8:45 am]
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